Winning Reader Recipes from Dairy-Free Foodistas

About two weeks ago we hosted a little giveaway here on Go Dairy Free and One Frugal Foodie called "A Recipe for Recipes." Readers were asked to submit up to three of their favorite dairy-free recipes for the chance to win the cookbook of their choosing. So many wonderful recipes were submitted, but in the end, we had nine books to give away, and nine winning recipes!

All of the recipes are dairy-free, but several meet other dietary requirements, such as vegan, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, or low in fat. Wherever possible (and when it won't effect the end result negatively), I have added notes to the recipes to accomodate special diets … but feel free to experiment on your own, or simply enjoy these wonderful recipes specifically as written …

Erin says, “These were the real star, to me at least – Butterscotch Scones. I had a bag of butterscotch chips in the pantry screaming to be used, and I wasn’t too keen on the idea of butterscotch muffins, so I decided on scones. I typed out just the general recipe, so obviously you can add whatever extra ingredients you want, like nuts or fruit, but I would highly recommend the butterscotch chips if you have ‘em.”

Ingredients

1 3/4 c all purpose flour

3 Tbs sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c dairy-free margarine (such as Earth Balance), cold

6-8 Tbs soy [or coconut]creamer

coarse sugar

1/2 c add-ins (butterscotch or chocolate chips, fruit, etc.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the Earth Balance using a pastry cutter until there are no large pieces of margarine and the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in 6 Tbs creamer, just until the flour mixture is moistened. If there is still unincorporated flour, add creamer by the tablespoonful, just until mixture comes together. Gently fold in any additional ingredients.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll in the flour to coat. Knead gently 10 times. Pat into an 8-inch circle on an ungreased baking sheet. Cut into 8 wedges with a knife dipped in flour, and do not separate wedges. Brush the top with additional soy creamer, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until the scones are turning golden and the tops don’t give in to the touch. Immediately remove from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack, using a knife to separate the scones if needed. Serve warm.

To make the dressing – toast the sesame seeds. Heat a skillet/saute pan to high heat, and shake the seeds until they start to brown and smell delicious. Put them in a food processor and pulse a few times. (Alternatively, you could crush them with a mortar and pestle.) Add the plums, shoyu, and lemon juice. Blend some more.

The dressing will actually be kind of thick, not watery. I was originally going to add a sweetener, but it didn’t need it.

Prep the soba noodles. Boil water (unsalted) and add the noodles. Reduce to a simmer (not a rolling boil as you would with pasta) and cook for 7-8 minutes. Rinse immediately with cold water. Continue to rinse until the noodles are smooth and the floury smell goes away (otherwise they get gummy as they cool). Let the noodles cool. (I used two different brands to use up one box which is why they’re different colors.)

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet/saute pan. Add the garlic; saute for 1 minute. Add the onions and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

This recipe is actually from the talented Susan at Fat Free Vegan (the photo is Susan's also), but Jamie enjoys it as one of her favorites, and says, “I have enticed many a meat-eater with this lasagna! It is so delicious and easy.”

Ingredients

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. chopped garlic

2 tbsp. water

2 26-oz jars of spaghetti sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)

9 lasagna noodles (regular lasagna noodles, uncooked)

Soy Parmesan (optional)

Sliced black olives (optional)

Filling

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 lb tofu (firm, reduced-fat recommended–not silken!)

1 tsp. salt (optional)

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy taste)

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in the 2 tbsp. water until tender; cover between stirring to keep them from drying out. Remove from heat and add the spaghetti sauce.

Place the tofu and thawed spinach in the food processor and process briefly. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. (You may do this without a food processor by using a potato masher on the tofu.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9×12-inch pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, using three dry noodles and leaving a little space in between them. Spread half of the tofu mixture on the noodles (I drop it by spoonfuls and then spread it). Cover with another layer of 3 noodles and then spread the remaining tofu mixture over them. Top with a final layer of noodles, and pour the remaining sauce over this. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with soy Parmesan and sliced black olives if you want. The lasagna will cut better if you allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

In a large skillet or saucepan, brown ground beef. Drain fat. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender. Stir in the pumpkin, tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, if desired, cut soy cheese slices into shapes (triangles, half-circles, etc.) to make pumpkin faces. Spoon meat mixture onto buns; top with cheese shapes. Broil just until cheese melts. Serve immediately with bun top off to side.

Yields 8 servings

Winner: Charlene

Monkey Munch-Puppy Chow

Charlene says, "You can find a variety of these “types” of recipes on a variety of different cooking web sites and in some cooking books. If you like you can added raisins,nuts or even minim marshmallows in with the powdered sugar."

1. Measure cereal in large bowl.2. Set aside.3. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine for 1 minute on high.4. Stir.5. Cook for 30 seconds longer or until smooth.6. Add vanilla.7. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until coated.8. Pour mixture into large Ziploc bag and add powdered sugar.9. Shake until well coated.10. Spread on waxed paper to cool.11. Store in Ziploc bags or large sealed bowl.12. Recipe Note: It helps to add cereal mixture a little at a time if you only have small bags.

Go Dairy Free is the leading website for information on the dairy-free diet. We share dairy-free recipes, product reviews, news, recommendations and health guides to aide those with milk allergies, lactose intolerance or a general need or desire to live without dairy. Dairy-free does include milk-free, lactose-free, casein-free and whey-free, too! We also offer ample resources for gluten-free, soy-free, food allergy, vegan and paleo diets.
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